Giving Nature Tools So It Can Thrive
The Role of Ingenuity, Innovation, & Technology in Natural Farming & Organic Nursery
At Simply Natural Farms it is key to, well, keep it natural of course. However, this is no small feat. We are talking about a farm that owns the largest greenhouse and organic nursery in Central America.
How do they manage it?
Simply Natural Farms forego toxic fertilizers and pesticides on their farms and their organic nursery. Instead they rely on permaculture practices, organic pest control, and homemade soil amendments. They even have a “secret sauce” of a bio-fertilizer. This is all geared toward producing the tastiest, healthiest crops possible.
The people behind the farm are big believers in avoiding any negative impact on the ecosystems thriving on their land. Our team had the privilege to visit their farms in Los Olivos de Natá this past December where our tour guide was none other than CEO Brian Angiuli himself.
Our first stop on the farm tour consisted of watching him rip a handful of leaves right off of a neem tree and chew on one.
Neem, as it turns out, grows remarkably fast. Under favorable conditions, the trees reach up to 13 feet in their first year. Simply Natural Farms lines their fields with rows of these trees. The border provides their crops with natural barriers that shelter them from the wind and keep diseases away.
Their general approach to agriculture is one of ecological awareness and natural solutions. Their land blooming with wildlife—jungle cats, big snakes, tarantulas, and many other bugs. They maintain a similar attitude towards all of it. It’s there. Simply Natural Farms believes in working with the land, not against it.
Let nature be, assist where you can, and then step back and let it do its job.
One feature that showcases Simply Natural’s approach is their water sourcing. The farms are located in an ecoregion known as the Arco Seco or “Dry Arc.” As its name would imply, the area receives a lot less rain than other parts of the country.
The Simply Natural farms rely on four major sources for water: Rainfall, natural ravines, the Rio Grande (literally the “Big River” running through their plantation), and their impressive pump water drip system, which draws and collects metric tonnes of water from underground rivers that run through the Dry Arc. The dryness of the land plays a key role in their operation with their drip irrigation system. The climate gives them solid control over the precise administration of water resources, guaranteeing the best water economy.
Innovatively Working With Nature and Not Against It
He explained how they grow a local variety of “mango criollo,” and chop the plant down a few feet from the ground. Then, appropriate cuts are made into the remaining rootstock to graft the scion of a juicier mango variety onto it, securing the graft with the help of surgical tape that dissolves over time.
After the operation, the small tree is shaken and bounced vigorously. Our guides explained that a plant’s nervous system is very similar to our own: dopamine-based. Add a little bit of stress, and survival instincts will kick in, pushing it to adapt and grow. Adequate challenge and pressure seem to bring the best out of everything.
The result is a mango tree that will yield a juicier, sweeter, and less fibrous fruit, with a higher percentage of pulp and a smaller seed. These trees are supported by a local rootstock that is familiar and compatible with the land, and complemented by a tastier, more saleable variety.
On our tour, we witnessed many examples of how mixing technological innovation and natural wisdom, local and foreign techniques and species, can create a special, best-of-both-worlds kind of success—much like the farm and organic nursery itself.
Learn more about Simply Natural Farms here.
